What is civil litigation computer forensics?

Civil litigation computer forensics involves the forensic acquisition, preservation and analysis of digital evidence for use in civil proceedings. This includes employment disputes, intellectual property theft, shareholder conflicts, contract breaches and fraud investigations. Unlike criminal forensics, civil matters operate under the balance of probabilities standard and follow the BC Supreme Court Civil Rules for disclosure.

How is computer forensics used in employment disputes?

In employment disputes, forensic analysis can reveal unauthorized data access, confidential file transfers to personal devices, deletion of company records, use of company resources for competing business activities and policy violations. We recover deleted files, analyze USB device history, examine cloud sync activity and construct timelines of employee conduct.

Can deleted files be recovered for civil litigation?

In many cases, yes. Deleted files may persist in unallocated disk space, file system journals, Volume Shadow Copies, cloud backups and application caches. Success depends on whether the storage area has been overwritten. Our examiners use forensic tools to recover deleted data and authenticate it for court use.

What is a forensic preservation order and when should I seek one?

A forensic preservation order (Anton Piller order in some jurisdictions) compels a party to preserve digital evidence. You should seek one when there is risk of evidence spoliation - for example, when an employee is suspected of deleting files before departure. Sherlock Forensics can assist counsel with the technical affidavit supporting such applications.

Does Sherlock Forensics work with both plaintiff and defence counsel?

Yes. We provide impartial forensic analysis for both plaintiffs and defendants. Our reports present factual findings based on the digital evidence without advocacy for either side. This objectivity strengthens the credibility of our findings and expert testimony in court.

Civil Forensics

Civil Litigation Forensics

Digital evidence for employment disputes, IP theft and fraud.

Civil litigation computer forensics is the forensic acquisition and analysis of digital evidence for civil proceedings including employment disputes, intellectual property theft, fraud and contract breaches. Sherlock Forensics provides court-admissible forensic imaging, data recovery and expert reports meeting BC Supreme Court Civil Rules evidentiary standards across Vancouver and British Columbia.

Employment terminations, departing executives, trade secret misappropriation, shareholder disputes - every civil conflict leaves a digital footprint. Our examiners reconstruct what happened, when it happened and who was responsible, producing evidence that meets the balance of probabilities standard.

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Capabilities

Civil Forensic Services

01 - Employment

Employment Dispute Analysis

Forensic examination of departing employee devices: USB history, file transfers, cloud sync, deleted records and timeline of pre-departure conduct.

02 - IP Theft

Intellectual Property Investigations

Tracing unauthorized copying, transfer and exfiltration of trade secrets, source code, customer lists and proprietary documents across devices and cloud accounts.

03 - Fraud

Fraud & Financial Forensics

Recovery and analysis of financial records, communication histories and document metadata to identify fraudulent activity, altered records and concealed transactions.

04 - Preservation

Evidence Preservation

Forensic imaging and preservation of digital evidence under court order or in anticipation of litigation. Anton Piller order support and technical affidavit preparation.

05 - Reporting

Expert Reports

Detailed forensic reports written for legal audiences. Clear methodology descriptions, reproducible findings and opinions that satisfy Rule 11-6 requirements.

06 - Testimony

Expert Witness Testimony

Qualified expert testimony in BC Supreme Court, Provincial Court and tribunals. We explain complex forensic findings in clear, accessible language for judges and arbitrators.

Common Matters

Civil Cases Requiring Digital Forensics

Dispute Type	Key Evidence	Forensic Approach
Wrongful Dismissal	Employee conduct, policy violations	Browser/app history, file access logs
Non-Compete Breach	Client list access, solicitation emails	Email analysis, file transfer timeline
Trade Secret Theft	Source code, designs, formulas	USB forensics, cloud sync analysis
Shareholder Disputes	Financial records, communications	Metadata analysis, deleted file recovery
Contract / Warranty Claims	Version history, modification dates	Document authentication, hash comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

Civil Forensics FAQs

What is civil litigation computer forensics?: Civil litigation computer forensics involves the forensic acquisition, preservation and analysis of digital evidence for use in civil proceedings. This includes employment disputes, intellectual property theft, shareholder conflicts, contract breaches and fraud investigations. Civil matters operate under the balance of probabilities standard and follow the BC Supreme Court Civil Rules for disclosure.
How is computer forensics used in employment disputes?: Forensic analysis can reveal unauthorized data access, confidential file transfers to personal devices, deletion of company records, use of company resources for competing business and policy violations. We recover deleted files, analyze USB device history, examine cloud sync activity and construct timelines of employee conduct.
Can deleted files be recovered for civil litigation?: In many cases, yes. Deleted files may persist in unallocated disk space, file system journals, Volume Shadow Copies, cloud backups and application caches. Success depends on whether the storage area has been overwritten. Our examiners use forensic tools to recover deleted data and authenticate it for court use.
What is a forensic preservation order?: A forensic preservation order compels a party to preserve digital evidence. You should seek one when there is risk of evidence spoliation. Sherlock Forensics assists counsel with technical affidavits supporting such applications and can execute preservation immediately upon order.
Does Sherlock Forensics work with both plaintiff and defence counsel?: Yes. We provide impartial forensic analysis for both plaintiffs and defendants. Our reports present factual findings based on digital evidence without advocacy. This objectivity strengthens credibility before the court.

Authority Resources

Standards & References

Legal Framework

Related Services

Certifications

Court-recognized credentials held by our forensic examiners.

CISSP

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Acting for plaintiff or defence, our forensic examiners deliver impartial digital evidence analysis that strengthens your litigation position.

Call 604.229.1994

Phone: 604.229.1994
Burnaby Office: Burnaby, BC, Canada
Coquitlam Office: Coquitlam, BC, Canada
Urgent Preservation: Same-day forensic imaging available